The first members of the Lyons Group of families to come to America settled in four different sections of this country, namely, New England, South Carolina, Pennsylvania and Louisiana.

All but one of the New England families came from England. The one exception was the Daniel Grinnell family, which came from France.

The very first of our New England forebears to land in this country were William Mullens and his wife, Alice Poretiers Mullens, their daughter, Priscilla Mullens, and John Alden. They came over on the Mayflower which landed at Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1620. John Alden was 21, Priscilla somewhat younger. History records that Captain Miles Standish, who was in love with Priscilla, asked John Alden to propose to her for him. When John did so, Priscilla replied, “John, why don’t you speak for your­self?” John and Priscilla were later married.

Another New England ancestor was Thomas Buckingham, Jr. He was one of the founders and fellows of Yale College.

Dr. Jesse Durastus Wright was another New England ancestor. He was born in 1793. After graduating in medicine from Yale College, he emigrated to Wilkinson County, Mississippi, where he married Sarah Robert Grimball. Sarah had moved with her parents to Mississippi from South Carolina.

All but three of our South Carolina families came from France. Of the three exceptions, two — the Roberts and the Braye families —• came from Switzerland. The third family, Calliham, came from Scotland. The Roberts had originally lived in England, but moved to Switzerland because of religious persecution.

One of our early South Carolina forebears was the Rev. Pierre Robert.

He had been pastor of a Waldensian Church in Switzerland. But following the revocation of the Edict of Nantes (1685), he led a large group of Hugue­nots from Europe to the friendly shores of South Carolina.

Another South Carolina ancestor was Paul Grimball. He held a number of offices in the Colonial Government of South Carolina.

Still another South Carolina forebear was Sarah Robert Grimball, daugh­ter of Paul Grimball, III, and his wife, Esther Jaudon Grimball. As previously stated, Sarah moved with her parents to Wilkinson County, Mississippi, where she and Doctor Jesse Durastus Wright were married. They then moved to the Cheneyville community, Rapides Parish, Louisiana, where they lived the remainder of their lives.

One of the children of Jesse and Sarah Wright was Julia Caroline Wright, who married Leroy Stafford Havard, son of John Havard and his wife, Joyce Calliham. Both the Havard and Calliham families had emigrated from South Carolina to Wilkinson County, Mississippi, and then to Louisiana.

Among the children of Leroy and Julia Havard was Charlton Wright Havard, grandfather of Charlton Havard Lyons. Charlton Wright Havard married Sallie Catherine Morris of Opelousas, Louisiana. One of their chil­dren was Joyce Bentley Havard who married Ernest John Lyons. One of their children was Charlton Havard Lyons who married Marjorie Hall. Charlton and Marjorie Lyons have two sons: Charlton Havard Lyons, Jr. and Hall McCord Lyons. Charlton Havard Lyons, Jr. married Susybelle Wilkinson and Hall McCord Lyons married Betty Sue Buffington from whom he was divorced, later marrying Ann Barras. Charlton and Susybelle Lyons have six children, and Hall and Betty Sue Lyons have four children. Hall and Ann have one child. These are the eleven grandchildren for whom this family history has been assembled.

Our Pennsylvania families consisted of the Morgan family and the Morris family. Both of these families came from England.

The first Morgan to come to Pennsylvania was James Morgan. This was in 1700. James was the son of an English Episcopal bishop.

In about 1815, James Morgan, III (grandson of James Morgan) moved from Pennsylvania to Opelousas, St. Landry Parish, Louisiana.

Among our first Morris ancestors was Levi Morris. He was a nephew of Robert Morris, who rendered invaluable service to the Colonies in the Revolutionary War. Levi moved to St. Landry Parish, Louisiana, in about 1824. One of Levi’s children was Jonathan Levi Morris. Jonathan married Caroline Morgan, daughter of James Morgan, III. One of their children was Sallie Catherine Morris, who, as already pointed out, married Charlton Wright Havard.

One of the children of Charlton and Sallie Catherine Havard was Joyce Bentley Havard. As previously stated, she married Ernest John Lyons, and one of their children was Charlton Havard Lyons, who married Marjorie Hall.

The Ernest John Lyons family lived near Abbeville, Vermilion Parish, Louisiana. The first Lyons we have record of is John Lyons, Sr. John Lyons, Sr. moved to Vermilion Parish, Louisiana, prior to 1800. It is not definitely known where he lived before moving to that area. John married Nancy Ahart. One of John’s children was Michael Lyons who married Mary Hayes. One of their children was Aborn Lyons. He married Elizabeth Ann Reeves. One of their children was Ernest John Lyons, husband of Joyce Bentley Havard, and father of Charlton Havard Lyons.

According to one family legend, the Lyons were Scotch-Irish. Accord­ing to another, the family came to Louisiana from Halifax, Nova Scotia, at the time of the Acadian deportation in 1755. In 1907, Benjamin Lyons executed an affidavit stating that his grandfather, John Lyons, II, had told him when he was a boy that his great-grandfather, John Lyons, I, had to get out of Canada because “he would not obey the rules that they wanted him to obey.”

There were three Wisconsin families: Hall, Scally and O’Rourke. They all came from Ireland. Michael Hall was the first member of that family to come to America. He was born in Dublin on January 20, 1836. After com­ing to this country, Michael married Mary Scally. They lived on a farm near Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin. Michael was Sheriff of Chippewa County, Wisconsin, a very large county at that time. One of the children of Michael and Mary Hall was Henry P. Hall; he married Laura Ann (Laurie) O’Rourke. Laura and her parents had emigrated from Vermont to Wisconsin. One of the children of Henry and Laura Hall is Mary Marjorie Hall, who married Charlton Havard Lyons.

THE WILKINSON FAMILY GROUP

The first members of the Wilkinson Group of families settled in five different sections of the country, namely, Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina, Georgia and Louisiana.

The first Wilkinson of which we have knowledge is Colonel Joseph Wilkinson. He was born in Virginia in 1754. Joseph married Barbara Mackall. She was the granddaughter of Col. John Mackall who settled in Maryland in the early 1600s. The Mackalls were well-known citizens of Maryland.

Some of the Wilkinsons moved from Virginia to Red River Parish, Lou­isiana. One of them was Waddy T. Wilkinson. He married Mary Ann Barbara Curry. One of their children was John D. Wilkinson. John D. married Alice Mai Scott, of Homer, Louisiana. John D. and Alice moved to Shreveport, Louisiana, where he became one of the leading lawyers of that state. One of the children of John D. and Alice Wilkinson was W. Scott Wilkinson, father of Mrs. Charlton H. Lyons, Jr.

Alice Mai Scott was the daughter of Nelson Jackson Scott of Homer. He served as District Judge of Claiborne Parish, Louisiana.

The Scotts originally lived in Scotland. They moved from that country to Ireland, then to South Carolina, and then to Claiborne Parish, Louisiana.

Alice Mai Scott’s mother was a Tooke. The Tookes originally lived in North Carolina. They moved from that state to Georgia, and then to North Louisiana.

The Williams were related to the Tookes. They also lived in North Carolina, moving from that state to North Louisiana, via Georgia.

The Bryans were also related to the Tooke family. The Bryans were members of the Irish nobility. They moved from Ireland, settling in North Louisiana.

Samuel West was the first member of that family to come to this country. He emigrated from England to South Carolina in the late 1600s. The Wests were well-known citizens of that state.

Charles West, II, great-great-grandson of Samuel West, married Sarah Evelyn Nephew. She was the daughter of James Nephew and Mary Magdalen Giguilliot. The Giguilliots moved from Switzerland to South Carolina about 1685. The LeSerrurier family was related to the Giguilliots.

Charles Stuart West was the grandson of Charles West, II. Charles Stuart West moved from South Carolina to Kentucky and then to Corsicana, Texas. He was one of the leading citizens of that city.

Charles Stuart West married Susan Hardy, who was a daughter of Henderson Hardy and his wife, Margaret Calpernia Greenwood of Mississippi.

The Henderson Hardys lived on a plantation in Brazos County, Texas. Henderson Hardy was born in Mississippi.

The Greenwoods were related to the Bailey and Chappel families, both of Virginia.

Charles and Susan West had two daughters: Susybelle West, who married Marion Church of Dallas, Texas, and Margaret West who married W. Scott Wilkinson of Shreveport, Louisiana. Scott and Margaret have two children: Susybelle, who married Charlton H. Lyons, Jr., and Margaret, who married James J. Butler from whom she is divorced. She is now married to Colonel R. A. Wilson.

THE BUFFINGTON FAMILY GROUP

The first members of the Buffington family settled in Illinois and New York.

Abraham Buffington emigrated from England to Ohio, and then to Illinois, where his son, Abraham Buffington, Jr. was born. Abraham, Jr. married Susan Ann Pettit of Illinois. The Pettits were related to the Whitmans, who came from the State of New York.

Abraham Buffington, Jr. moved to Kansas, where his son, Culver W. Buffington was born. Culver married Nevva Scott. They had one daughter, Betty Sue, who married Hall McCord Lyons. Hall and Betty are divorced. She is now the wife of Billy Carl McKeever.

The first Scott of which we have record is John Scott, who lived in Ohio. He married Minerva Hubbell. Their son, Winfield Scott, was born in Ohio. In 1836, he and his mother moved to Illinois, where he married Nancy Ann Haines, of Virginia. One of their children was George Edgar Scott. He married Sarah Alice Hey wood of Illinois.

George and Alice Scott hac five children, one of whom was Nevva Scott who married Culver W. Buffing! on.

The Heywood family was related to the Wrigley family. The Heywoods originally lived in England. In the middle of the 1800s they emigrated to this country, settling in Illinois.

The Wrigley family also came from England. They settled in Illinois. This was about 1830.

THE BARRAS FAMILY GROUP

The Barras and Hebert Families are long time residents of South Lou­isiana. The Barras settled in and around Houma, Louisiana, and Loreauville, Louisiana. Aramis Barras and Cora Breaux, his wife, lived in Loreauville, Louisiana, where Herbert Paul Barras, one of their eight children, was born. Herbert Paul married Georgette LeBourgeois, who died and he later married Hazel Marie Hebert, daughter of Charles and Aline Hebert. Herbert Paul and Hazel Marie Barras have three children, one of whom is Ann Barras, who married Hall McCord Lyons.

The Charles Heberts reside in Charenton, Louisiana. They have eight children, one of whom is Hazel Marie Hebert, who married Herbert Paul Barras.